Breathe Out Full Stop (Ch. 3b: Day 1, pt. V)

NPC · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 1:09 am

"VRRRK, what the he-e-e-AUGH-k-k."

The bullets hit the thing in the face.

"Maintain federation positions. Repeat, we are maintaining muffet." The robot reeled, and crumpled backwards, writhing like an insect before scrambling up lop-sidedly again.

"Backup, federation, we miss back-up, over! Back-up, back-up!"

It staggered, obviously ill-at-ease with its place in the world, but persevered, none-the-less. In a few seconds it directed its attention at Ace, and lunged, three arms out to grab at his face and wrists.

Greens · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:36 pm

It didn't take long after the realization of owning an empty gun for Ace to realize that lying still on the ground was a bad idea. With that in mind, he immediately scrambled himself up on two feet, thankful for the time his bullets bought him. But he kept the rifle, as even without ammunition, it was still heavy and metal enough to be useful.

Unlike last time, old alleycat was ready by the time the thing charged him, and it showed. He didn't move until the last second he could have, but the moment it came in range he stepped deftly off to the side like a matador and a bull, while using the force of the sudden shift to slam the butt of his rifle into the side of the robot's head.

Sheff · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:56 pm

Everything was happening so fast.

The whole situation was a blur as the hedgehog spectated, trying to keep track of the robot monstrosity's movements. The others seemed to be handling the situation as well as they could, despite the falls and bleeding, but that did not stop him from growing a mandatory layer of crystal-armor. The mysteries of all the ruckus on the ship may have been solved, but now they needed to take out the source.

Just as the thing launched itself at Ace, he began to charge. Truly there wasn't any time for his overused spindash maneuver, so as he approached, he decided to take the risk and substitute speed with a full body tackle. That is if the robot was still moving after whatever the cat was attempting to do, and permitting if it stayed still for the next couple of seconds.

Either way, he'd do his best just to hang on to the blasted thing as he began to dive.

Seafarinhare · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:16 pm

Wild Badge jumped off of the robot as it fell forward from the impact of his punch and Rodolf's headbutt. Moments later, the robot put some distance between itself and them, and then launched a ballistic bedframe at them.

He jumped into the air as he passed under him, attempting to pull his body horizontal to avoid it, but his back brushed the frame and he was sent spinning out in mid-air. He managed, somehow to regain control and land on his hands. His lower body hitting the ground behind him seconds later.

"Damn..." He grumbled as he stood up, rubbing his shoulder. It was about then that Ace made his nimble counter-attack and Sheffer was attempting a full-body tackle.

Whether or not Sheffer's attack was successful, Wild Badge sprinted toward them, and leaped over Sheffer's head, toward the robot. He twisted his upper body, and threw a leg out with his other leg tucked under it in a flying dropkick. His kicking leg was engulfed in chaos energy which, in the event that it connected with the robot, would transfer explosive force to the robot's frame.

"WILD KICK!"

NPC · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:29 am

The robot tumbled over, and was almost immediately tangled up in inextricable piles of Sheff.

"Back-up!" it howled, "Back-up, back-up, back-up! We need—back-up! Back—!"

Badge's attack connected. The robot stopped moving.

Diluss · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:48 am

In the inordinately close, rapid battle, Coop had not attempted to fire.

With the battle over, however, he showed no signs of relaxation, either. He kept the grenade launcher up.

He stared down at the thing.

"Where'd this come from," he muttered, brow furrowed intensely. He kicked at it, as if mild violence would cause the thing to break open and shower knowledge on the group like some Piñata of Secrets.

"Why was it a robot here and missiles on the ARK. How was the engine on this ship messed up so bad? A rocket couldn't leave a hole like that in a ship unless it went right through, so—"

… He looked around at the group, then back down at the robot.

"Back-up," he stated flatly. He looked at the doorway into the room they were standing in.

"Back-up…"

NPC · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:48 am

A metallic clanking echoed distantly in the corridors of the ghost ship.

Kazz · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 1:06 am

"Just great." Rodolf watched the sudden flurry of activity, and was secretly quite glad he hadn't had to intervene again. He gingerly wiped a bit of the blood off of his face as Coop spoke, got to his feet, and then looked at the eagle. He opened his mouth to answer the bird, but was stopped by the echoing sound in the distance. "Just great," he reiterated, his eyelids sliding half-way down in something like exasperation.

"I'd suggest we move unless we want to sit here and wait for another one of that thing's buddies to come find us," the unicorn said, looking at the door as well. "Though I suppose we've learned something," he added with an incredibly obviously-fake sort of chipper tone. He returned to his normal tone to continue: "and I don't think we're going to find anything more in here."

And with that, the unicorn made for the door back into the hallway, leaving the whole leader-ly 'follow me' unspoken. Rodolf stepped gingerly, keeping his ears alert, even before he actually reached the door-- he wasn't exactly hoping to be blindsided by another robot.

NPC · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:16 am

*Cronk*

A nearby door reverberated. Something had slammed forcefully into it from the opposite side. It was the door to the airlock. The light inside flickered, shining bright white through a high-mounted window in the door. The exterior airlock door leading to space slid quickly shut; a long hiss immediately started as the pressure was allowed to equalize.

Then, an explosion.

The light inside was shattered by the small, concussive boom, and was replaced by orange firelight. Whatever was in there apparently lit up as soon as it had the oxygen to fully combust.

The interior door whipped open with a swish, revealing a wall of flame and a mass of scrap metal. A figure—a short, broad being, frumpy-shaped and awkward, with a sorry excuse for a fishbowl for a head—rushed out with an unnatural screech, engulfed and blazing, flailing its arms, and charging straight for Sheffer at about the speed of a good softball pitch.

Sheff · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:04 pm

If his mouth wasn't muffled by the layer of rock between it and the open air, the others of the hedgehog's group would have probably heard a series of expletives from it. The sudden appearance of another murderous machine had caught him by surprise, having expected the one already decommissioned to be their only foe.

With a stiff jerk of his body, he managed to step to the side away from the charging figure, the flames of it searing marks into his rock-armor, one of its limbs even managing to smash into his own arm. Not seeming entirely phased, he turned quickly, raising an arm which seemed to be morphing into a pointed pillar of crystal. With heavy steps, he pushed forward, chasing the burning robot. It wasn't long before he threw a solid punch straight at its middle region.

Sheffer only hoped he'd hear the satisfying crunch of metal meeting rock that he intended.

NPC · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 6:47 pm

There was a crunch—but not the metallic kind. Actually, while Sheffer may have expected to receive some damage from the apparent monster, he'd find himself quite untouched by it.

The figure fell back with a gurgling sound. As it writhed there for a moment on the floor, the flames began to die down (as there actually wasn't enough flammable substance to keep it burning very long), and it became clear that it was in fact a space suit—a shoddy, poorly-fitting one, but a space suit nonetheless.

The individual kicked and squirmed, apparently in immense pain, and making what sounded like muffled growling and groaning noises of the most urgent tone. They segued quickly to coughing, though, as smoke began to fill the helmet; with some clumsy one-handed fiddling, and a harsh rip, Juke threw the helmet off.

psikeout · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 6:48 pm

"What tha HELL, man, you stabbed me!!" the sunglasses-wearing bat screamed between coughs, clutching what was in all actuality a pretty impressive and serious wound. "I can't believe you stabbed me!! Why?! Hnnnnnngh, oh mama..."

How had this happened? Well, a glance back to the airlock revealed that it was in fact his ugly old XG machine laying in a smoldering, discolored pile. Apparently, some manner of combustible (quite possibly some leftover rocket propellant that was already on the verge of catching fire) lit up when he got in the oxygen-filled chamber. Whatever had happened, he continued to gasp and clutch at the hole in the gut of his suit.

"I'm so sorry, mama, this isn't how I wanted to go..."

He sounded like he was in tears, and dying. ... Well, maybe he was, a little, but not quite that imminently, assuming anyone would actually care to get the weeping, charred mess of a scoundrel on his feet and out of there.

Greens · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:32 pm

"Oh s**t!" cried the serval, upon realizing exactly what new 'threat' was thrust upon them. Not an expletive of fright of the fiery figure, or even the fouling of a familiar face. But the simple realization of "That's a guy!" It might've been odd thinking that Ace of all people would be the first person to leap to his aid, but the cat was pretty sprightly when he wanted to be.

Indeed, he knelt down beside him and quickly surveyed the damage with an alert, yet awkward slant to both of his brows (mumbling something akin to "The fff#$% were you doin' out 'ere...?"), before shaking his head and... scooping the guy right up. His arms were already a little bloody, but he didn't worry about it, because his space suit was already pretty ugly in the first place. He cradled the bat like he would a sleepy child. It was a little emasculating, but better than injuring the guy any further.

"We can check out the other ships later," Ace blurted, carrying the both of them in the direction of the way he came. "This guy needs help. Maybe he can tell us what was goin' on."

Kazz · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:45 pm

Rodolf had leapt back, his filched handgun trained intently at the on-fire figure, as it leapt at Sheff... ... and then, suddenly... it was Juke. His eyelids slid halfway down, and his lip curled a little bit on sight of the bat as he returned to his normal composure.

He muttered something, probably involving the phrase 'eye-bruising-clown-hippie of a bat', under his breath, and looked at Ace. "I doubt he'll be able to tell us much," the unicorn said after a moment, but nodded his head once. "But we may as well. Let's get him out of here before he bleeds to death. ... and preferably before we get sprung by something that's actually a threat," he added. "I've had just about enough of this $%@& for today."

Seafarinhare · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:57 pm

After the robot was felled, there seemed to be only a moment or two of silence before things picked up again. But it all happened so fast, next thing he knew Sheffer had stabbed some bat fellow.

Suddenly, priorities had shifted, and they had to keep a man from bleeding to death, "Right... in the mean time, do we have something to patch the bleeding?"

Wild Badge was on the Rodolf train with this one.. He doubted this guy knew much of anything... And thanks to their humanitarianism, they'd be leaving the ship empty handed as far as information goes.

How unfortunate.

Breathe Out Full Stop (Ch. 3b: Day 1, pt. V)

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